


The Pygmalion Effect

by stories_in_my_head



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Original Trilogy, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Actors, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, But A Plot For A Movie, F/M, Mention of Ben Solo/Bazine Netal, Movie Set, Nudity, Teacher-Student Relationship, Yes My Movie Titles Suck
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-28
Updated: 2019-09-28
Packaged: 2020-10-28 15:48:52
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,373
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20781101
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stories_in_my_head/pseuds/stories_in_my_head
Summary: Rey Johnson has just scored the most amazing summer job ever. All she has to do is to be a body double for the lead actress in the most anticipated movie of the year,You Need A Teacher.  It should be a piece of cake, right? Except she’s naked, blindfolded, tied to a bed, and the script calls for her being fondled by the sexiest actor alive, Ben Solo.





	The Pygmalion Effect

**HOLLYWOOD A-LIST COUPLE CAST IN NOVEL ADAPTATION**

Los Angeles. - Ben Solo and Bazine Netal have landed the lead roles in the movie adaptation of the runaway hit novel _ You Need A Teacher _. The novel, lovingly nicknamed by its global fans as YNAT, is the tale of a professor who engages in a dangerous, secret sexual relationship with one of his students. It was derided by critics as ‘armchair pornography’ and dismissed by BDSM enthusiasts as ‘dominance and submission as described on Wikipedia’. Finding its audience within the highly coveted 18-35 female demographic, it sold over 70 million copies and went on to become a cultural phenomenon. Speculation as to who will take on the roles has not abated since the project was first announced last spring. 

Empire Studios announced the casting on social media: "We are delighted to announce #BenSolo has agreed to be Professor Kylo Ren in the film adaptation of #YNAT." This was followed a few minutes later by a separate post: "The gorgeous and talented @TheRealBazineNetal will be Kira Ray."

Mr. Solo, 31, had his feature debut as Adam in _ Master and Apprentice _ , which catapulted him into A-list superstardom. The story of an android who discovers his humanity while escaping the clutches of his evil creator, _ Master _ was a critical and commercial success, and earned him multiple acting nominations at the age of only 21. 

He is the son of Hollywood screen legends Han Solo and Leia Organa, who met on the set of the blockbuster movie _ Galaxy Battle. _ His uncle, Luke Skywalker, was the lead actor in _ Galaxy Battle _ and helmed _ Master _ after retiring from acting. The Hollywood pedigree goes one degree further, being the grandson of the late Anakin Skywalker, founder of Empire Studios. 

News about his career achievements are featured side by side with gossip about his personal life. Alleged to have a difficult relationship with his parents, the teenaged Solo was reportedly sent to an elite military academy after being kicked out of private school. There were claims that _ Master _ was to be turned into a trilogy but plans were abandoned when rising tensions between the lead actor and his uncle director came to a head during filming in Ireland. A fire broke out and due to the remoteness of the island, fire and rescue crews weren’t able to arrive on time. The blaze burnt the whole set to the ground. No casualties were reported and the fire was ruled as accidental. Sources close to the family suggested Mr. Solo and Mr. Skywalker haven’t been on speaking terms ever since. 

His role as Professor Kylo Ren will undoubtedly turn interest in his personal life into more romantic territory. This is his third film with Ms. Netal, also 31. Both were rumored to have begun dating when they starred as a married couple with deadly secrets in the romantic thriller _ Double Cross _ . They became a gossip magazine staple: photographed together on the red carpet, around the city, and while on holiday in Cantonica. By the time they were filming _ Scenes From A Marriage _, about a married couple’s disintegrating relationship, it was rumored that the couple’s real life association appeared to have mirrored the plot. 

Representatives from both Mr. Solo and Ms. Netal have neither confirmed nor denied the status of their relationship. 

While Mr. Solo was the clear front-runner for the role of Kylo Ren, the names of several actresses were attached to the role of Kira. Many industry insiders had speculated the role could be given to Kaydel Ko Connix, 21, fresh from her role as model slash vigilante Billie Lourd in _ My Lourd and Savior _. Persons connected to the YNAT project (who cannot be identified due to existing non-disclosure agreements) had hinted weeks before that Ms. Netal was being considered for the role. The reports were met with rumbles she is being miscast as a nineteen-year-old coed. 

When pressed for comment about the movie and the involvement of the two actors, Arthur Snoke, head of First Order Productions, remained coy. “Ben and Bazine have great on-screen chemistry,” Mr. Snoke noted. “They cannot wait to work together again and are very excited to start filming.” When asked whether he had a hand in casting Ms. Netal as Kira, all Mr. Snoke said was “We cannot wait for the fans to watch the movie, which we hope will be shown next Valentine’s Day.” 

___

“Do I look like a wide-eyed, innocent student waiting for her sexually experienced professor to engage in kinky sex -" Rey Johnson murmured. "-or a slab of trussed ham ready to be hung and dried in time for Christmas?”

Her query was one of the numerous sounds bouncing off within the cramped movie set. It was a veritable babel of noise vying for attention: objects being moved around, machinery being turned on and calibrated, and conversations full of insider jargon. 

“Mmmm." A feminine voice chimed in. Rey detected a whiff of cucumber body wash. Breaking into a face-splitting grin, she remembered the gallon sized bright green bottle in the combination bathtub shower she shared with her roommate—and set make-up artist—Rose Tico. “Either way, Reyrey, you look good enough to eat.” Rose accompanied her compliments with loud, wet, lip-smacking noises. 

Rey chuckled at the lewd, suggestive racket. “Hope the Professor’s hungry.” 

“_ Starving _.” Rose returned the banter without missing a beat, applying a soft sponge-like object on several areas of Rey’s naked body, concentrating on her chest and shoulders. “Definitely won’t take home a doggie bag.” 

Rey twitched as she scented a powdery product hovering above her nose. “Rosie, is it OK to take off the blindfold for a bit?” 

“Sorry, love, not until after rehearsal. Is it uncomfortable? Do you want me to fetch Jess from wardrobe and sort you out?” Rose offered. 

Gulping, Rey shook her head. “I don’t want to mess the make-up, but could you pretty please scratch my nose?”

“Oh! Is that it?” Rey sensed a finger gently massaging the ridge of her nose. “Better?” 

Rey nodded. 

“I know this isn't what you're used to…”

“Being tied up on the bed stark naked? Nah, this is Wednesday shift at the cafe for me.” 

“Up-size your drink and get your first round of spanking absolutely free! Seriously, I cannot thank you enough for signing the rest of your summer break away to put up with all of this.” 

_“_All of this for a princely sum is a fair exchange to me.” Though neither prudish nor excessively critical of her appearance, she wasn’t a working actress or bit player. A college coed and nobody, Rey was hesitant to apply when Rose suggested the idea. But the pay the studio offered was at an eye-watering amount; it was all she could think about for days. 

_ What’s a few hours spent bare-arsed in front of complete strangers who you won’t meet again afterwards, _ she justified as she made the last round of coffee at the end of her day-long shift, her palms red and tender from handling hot drinks for a prolonged period of time. _ And be paid more than I would ever earn all summer long working on my feet in thirty-odd degree heat. No, think in Fahrenheit, Johnson. _ ** _Ninety _ ** _ degree heat. _

“Thank Maz and her shrewd bargaining ways,” Rose murmured. When she agreed to apply for the role, her roommate convinced Rey to hire an agent. Doubting the necessity, Rose admitted _ the producers bit off more than they could chew, promising a Valentine’s Day opening. “That’s not a lot of filming time left. I smell desperation, Rey, to find someone to fill in the brief. If they’re going to make you strip, might as well bleed them dry for the privilege.” _ She recommended a woman who has worked in the business for a very long time. _ “Old as Hollywood,” _ Rose noted, _ “knows her way around the industry in general, and Empire Studios in particular _ . _ She’s all but retired, but I have a good feeling she’ll take you on _ . _ ” _

“Speaking of Maz,” she continued. “Remember what both of you talked about regarding the scene and how it’s going to be filmed?”

“Uh-hmm. The Professor enters the room with the intention of ‘breaking me in’, for lack of a better term, but my naked beauty will give him other ideas.”

“And the specific areas where Mr Solo will touch you?”

She nodded. “Y-yeah,” Rey croaked. “Between my chest and then his hand will span my waistline, thumbs meeting on my belly-button. Then he will caress my legs, starting from my ankles and work his way to the back of my knees, spreading them apart. When he reaches half-way up the left thigh, I will raise the other leg to cover his hand.” 

“Good girl.” Rose praised. 

Rey thought of nothing when discussing those scenes with Maz in a matter-of-fact, clinical manner. It all sounded like a complicated dance aimed at selling the intimacy with suggestive placements and clever camera angles. _ “The key is never to make a sex scene realistic,” _ Maz explained, _ “real life sex is ugly. We’re here to sell the fantasy, to draw an outline for the audience to fill in their own colors and shades.” _Now that she was moments away from sharing those scenes with her favorite actor, each passing minute closer to the event has her insides twisting in knots. 

As an 11-year-old foster child, she identified with Ben Solo's character and his struggle to escape his oppressive situation in _Master and Apprentice. _The movie seized her imagination and provided a glimmer of hope that she too would one day leave the system and be free and independent. Most of the other foster children marveled at the special effects, but Rey’s younger self couldn’t take her eyes off Ben's countenance on the screen. His unnatural features fascinated her, the wealth and depth of emotion he conveyed with a twitch of muscle or a flicker of his amber colored eyes. 

Did her childhood adulation affect her decision in accepting this unusual role? Has nostalgia distorted her impression of someone she’s never met personally? What happens when her ideals fall short of the real deal? 'Never meet your hero' was a phrase often used to caution fans wearing rose-tinted lenses, to soften the blow when expectations were set unreasonably high. _ Never meet them bare as the day you were born, either, _ Rey thought saucily. 

“Could you run by me the plot again, Rosie?”

“Of course.” Rose answered, knowing the plot by heart, having read the novel countless times over. “Your Professor, Kylo Ren—that’s Mr Solo’s character—notices you during class for all the wrong reasons: arriving late, providing lackluster recitations, and missed assignment deadlines. Your character, Kira, had an excellent record and was awarded a full scholarship, but for some reason you’re failing Professor Ren’s subject.” 

“I think I know what’s next - she flunks the subject, she loses the scholarship?” 

“Lemme give you an ‘A’ for that correct answer.” 

Hiding a smug grin, Rey cannot help but preen at her mock reward. Growing up in a succession of foster homes, school was the lone constant in her nomadic existence. The assorted foster parents she was assigned to were a mixed bag, but all of them knew the basic rule: their charges must attend school or invite the wrath of social services. The routine settled her, anchoring the disjointed pieces of Rey’s young life. She credited the constancy provided by education to be the sole reason why she didn’t follow the other children on a path of self-destruction.

“So in exchange for giving a passing grade, she is to be tied up like Sunday roast?”

“I swear, Johnson, everything to you relates to food!” Both friends cackled. During their first few weeks as roommates, Rose marveled at Rey’s considerable appetite. They were newly introduced and Rey fibbed to having a ‘fast metabolism’ for her unusual appetites. The fact that you were bounced from one home to another not knowing when you would consume the next full meal wasn’t the sort of information one divulged to a new acquaintance. 

"Would you be up to it?" 

"Up to what, Reyrey?" 

Naked shoulders shrugged nonchalantly. "Being like this, for a lover?" 

"The lifestyle has its perks but alas, I don’t play second fiddle in a relationship." The image of her friend, small in stature with a heart the size of the city and a pride to match being subservient to anyone, brought Rey into fits of laughter. "But for Professor Ren, I _ could _ make an exception."

"The character or the actor?" 

"Definitely the character. Nothing personal, Mr. Solo has been lovely to work with, but it's never a good idea to date someone famous or on the rebound. And he is two out of two."

Rey was chuffed to bits, knowing he maintained a good reputation on and off the screen, relieved that perhaps meeting Mr. Solo wouldn’t be an awkward affair. She never sought gossip, but knew about his romantic entanglements with the lead actress courtesy of Rose. 

From what Rose has conveyed, Ben and Bazine have a passionate, unstable relationship. Fighting like animals one day, and then making up the next day with loud, trailer-shaking sex. _ “Currently on the outs, haven’t been seen together since early this year,” _ Rose mentioned. “ _ Quite surprised both agreed to take on the roles. But Snoke can be very persuasive, he has the unique ability to transform these hissing prima donnas into purring kittens eager to do his bidding.” _Listening to Rose explain how show business actually works gave Rey the impression that maybe being a movie star, or dating a movie star, isn't such a charmed life after all. 

“Otherwise, tying a partner up is more in my lane,” Rose confirmed, leaning closer to confide against Rey's ear. “I’d like to tie up Hux and dominate him until he is a purring mess on the bed.”

_ You have your work cut out _ , Rey thought, eyes rolling under the blindfold. Rose recently spent countless hours discussing two things: _ You Need A Teacher _, the novel where this movie was based, and the ‘ginger from Lighting’ who has an unusual name and ‘looks so constipated his dick somehow stuck inward and blocked his own colon’. 

"Seems he needs more than a spanking, Rosebud. What’s the sexual equivalent of removing blockage up your bum?” _ Rose didn’t pick the easy ones, that's for sure, _ Rey concluded, having the dubious honor of meeting the tall, thin man on set this morning. He was pleasant enough during the introductions, greeting her politely when Rose introduced her to the rest of the crew, which included Jess the wardrobe mistress, Chirrut and Baze who handled sound, and Bhodi the cameraman. But it didn’t take long for Rey to experience first hand Hux's obsessive, stuck up behavior, when he spent an excessive amount of time griping about lighting a confined space such as this bedroom, decorated to mimic a well-to-do bachelor's inner sanctum inside his pied-à-terre in an expensive part of town. _ “At least her wax left no ugly bumps to create unnecessary shadow_," he conceded. 

"He needs something to occupy his ass so he wouldn’t be so anal about lighting.” 

"You talk the big talk, Tico." A male voice hissed. "Promising to own my ass when you can't even reach my posterior without a ladder."

"Name the time and place, Armitage_. _I'm not afraid of heights."

The rest of the crew continued preparing the set, but there was a collective snicker at Rose's quick comeback. Initially anxious at having to strip in front of complete strangers, their discretion towards her nude form eased the tension Rey experienced during her first hours on set. Once the initial anxiety had bled out, Rey admitted their casual attitude left a bruise on her pride. _ This must be an everyday occurrence for them _, she mulled over, the sound of Rose and Hux continuing to snipe at each other like hyenas in synchronized heat and rut in the background, internalizing the chagrin she felt at being ignored as though she was a movie prop draped over the bed. She wondered if Mr Solo would treat her similarly, a placeholder to the other woman with whom he’s romantically linked, on and off the screen. 

Their sexually charged banter came abruptly to a halt when someone entered the room and said the usual pleasantries. The atmosphere within the room transformed, from frantic but relaxed into a rigid, terse silence. 

“Good afternoon. Nice to see everyone again. Are we all set?”

_ Fuck, is that the sound of his voice for real? _ The baritone that rang from the entrance sounded tired and preoccupied. It didn’t deter Rey from reacting to its deep, panty-dropping throb. Her thighs clamped tightly and winced when the flesh-colored adhesive that covered her privates crinkled in protest. 

“Solo, what are you doing here?” Hux was the first person to find his voice. “Ms. Holdo’s held up. Not yet time for rehearsal.”

“Let's dispense with it, shall we? I know the lay of the land." The deep-voiced newcomer leered. The rational, thoroughly modern part of her raged and protested this man’s impropriety, but the impact of hearing his voice has rendered her tongue-tied and incapable of stringing a cohesive sentence. 

"Mr Solo, please, that's not -" She heard Rose trying to intervene, but Rey was focused on the shuffle of footwear coming nearer to where she was tied on the bed. She felt something warm splayed over her belly, and the breath left her lungs in a rush at the warmn, bold, intimate touch. 

"So soft and supple. Glowing like the sun." The man purred, his voice soft, the hushed words meant for her ears alone. The tone of his voice was sensual, tinged with reverence and wonder, as if he cannot believe the valuable treasure he found among the rubbish. 

Her body softened and relaxed under his praises, weak in the knees and grateful to be already lying on a flat surface. Goose pimples stood up in attention, and her belly quivered as hands roamed over her skin with ease and familiarity. Her heart stopped for a moment, but resumed its now frantic beating when a finger playfully skimmed the underside of her right breast. Unable to control her reactions, her nipples puckered tightly, hissing when a soft breeze wafted and touched the sensitized flesh.

"You've also returned to your original cup size. I like it. Dr Akbar has performed miracles once again. Gotta hand it to you, Baz. What the good doctor recommended sounded impossible, and yet here you are." 

The reminder of why she was here threw cold water over her overheated body. "_ Get. Your. Bloody. Hands. Off. Me _." Rey answered, enunciating each word through gritted teeth. 

"How delightful, even your voice sounds so young and innocent. Is that a British accent I detect? Those intensive dialect classes did the trick. But drop the cut-glass aristocratic accent for now, Bazine," the voice jeered. "That's way too early in the scene. I haven't even taught you properly yet, Eliza Doolittle."

"If you're Professor Higgins then your behavior leaves a lot to be desired!" 

"Why you snotty little bitch -" 

"Don't make me ask you twice or I swear to God I will report you to the union and you can kiss your career goodbye!" 

The hand on her belly stilled. Breathing deeply, Rey’s overactive imagination could imagine tiny wheels turning frantically, working double time inside his mind, and could pinpoint the exact moment when he found out his eyes were deceiving him. 

"_ Fuck!" _The man moved his hand away, yowling like a cat whose tail was caught in a rocking chair, awareness hitting him like a freight train.

Rey was unprepared when the blindfold was yanked away, blinking as bright lights hit her untrained eyes. 

"You're not Bazine." The man accused. 

“Got that right, Captain Obvious.” She snarled.

"Who are you? _ What are you _?" 

Her vision clearing, Rey looked up to see honey colored eyes blinking owlishly, his scarlet lips hanging open in shock. Had the situation been different, she would have found his dumbfounded expression adorable, and would have been overjoyed to have met her Ben Solo in the flesh. But this wasn’t the time. 

“I’m Bazine’s body double."

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! The inspiration of this fic came when I was outlining ideas for my other fic, [“Legends, Lore and Reylo,”](https://archiveofourown.org/works/20471765/chapters/48576122) my take on lesser known Greek myths with a reylo spin. Pygmalion and Galatea is fairly popular but there’s not much reylo fics that are inspired by it. I originally planned to write it set in the Renaissance era. But, did you know that the myth inspired the play by George Bernard Shaw that then inspired _My Fair Lady?_ And with my Den House running a month long back-to-school collection, it was the perfect opportunity to tell the tale of a Professor teaching a street urchin the ways of refinement. Only a modern, cracky, hopefully zingy and thoroughly reylo version.
> 
> Thank you [JaliyahJade](https://archiveofourown.org/users/JaliyahJade/pseuds/JaliyahJade) for the beta read! 
> 
> The beautiful moodboard was gifted by [DarkKnightDardSide](https://archiveofourown.org/users/DarkKnightDarkSide/pseuds/DarkKnightDarkSide). Thank you so much!
> 
> And thank you to [AuroraNoirStardust](https://archiveofourown.org/users/AuroraNoirInStardust/pseuds/AuroraNoirInStardust) and [P_Dunton](https://archiveofourown.org/users/P_Dunton/pseuds/P_Dunton) for the background information. No question was silly and you guys were such a great help.


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